Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-07-16
A SNAKE STORY.

through with their las weeks Clarion
Blast O Freedom yit. Seems to me it
takes 'em "A good vile to read that paper
through. l sent over fer it Yesterday, an
they sent back word they was readin' on
1t theirselfs yit. It'll be time for mex
weeks paper to git aroun' fore I have a
squint ct wat were goin' on las week IL
the Squirrels folks hol's on TO that paper
much longer. / never see how selfish
some folks Is. Run over, PeleG, an see il
they'm through with it, an if they can't
send It this time, they kin keep their OIL
paper for all o. me. Run along, Peleg."
Little Peleg put on his hat and started.
He was about climbing the garden fence
to make a short cut to the '!Squire's,
when his grandfather called him.
Hey, pclegl' he called. 'IIol' on n
minute. Come here"
! Pcleg came back. The Old Settler
, took n few vigorous puffs on his pipe and
then said:
"Yer gran'mammy's gone to 'xperi-
encc meetin', hnin't she?"
Peleg said she had, and his grandfather
said; "All right n Peleg started once
more for the garden fence. But the Old
Settler called him back again. After n
few more vigorous puffs at the pipe, and
a cautious glance around into the kitchen,
the Old Settler said, in a low, confidential
tone:
"I-I s'pose ye don't know whar yer
gran'mammy keeps that air-that air
bottle o rum an snake root O. her'n, do
yef''
Peleg said he didn't, and his grand
father told him to 90 On after the paper.
When Pelcy had mounted the fence the
Old Settler knocked the ashes out Of his
pipe, dragged his chnir back into the
kitchen and lighted u lamp. Then he put
on his spectacles, took the lamp and went
into the pantry. He looked along the
shelves, felt behind two or three big plat
tiers that were slanted on q shelf against the
wall, took down the catchup bottle, smclt
of it and put it back, looked behind the
door and In all the corners, and came out
into the kitchen apparently disappointed.
He thought a moment, and then hurried
TO the tall old clock That licked solcmnly
in one corner He opened the clock and
examined the interior. Disappointment
evidently met him there. Then he opened
the drawer in tho kitchen table, looked
carefully into it and shut it with a slam.
The bedroom of then attracted his atten-
tiou. He went In, rummagcd through al
the bureau drawers, looked under the bed
hAiNA AAhh ~ So a - AbfSiS
with disappointment on his face. Then
he sought the sitting room and the spare
bedroom, examined every nook and corner
and came back into the kitchen looking
very hot and mad. He put the lamp
Gown on the table, threw himself with a
snort into his chair, and at last said:
II guess M'riar's Gfeerd tint burglars
III bore their way In here some evenin' an
walk away with that bottle o Gurn bitter
stuff o her'n. They'd hef TO want sumpin'
TO drink pooty bad If they did. | never
see, b'gosh, how s'picious some folks is.
Specially womenr'
Just then little Peleg came In with the
paper from the 'Squire's.
"Wan," said the Old Settler, "they
made up their minds at last to let ye have
It, did they2''
Yes" replied Peleg; "but Aunt Peggy
said that maybe you hadn't never thought
OF subscribing to the paper yourself as
being q good way to get the news when it
was fresh"
"'Scribin' to it, exclaimed the Old Set
tier. "'Scribin' to it! Wy, didn't | usety
scribe to it, Didn't / scribe to it jis' to
help the Teller along th't started it' An
didn't he SEN me a bill for 81 bout a year
a~rterw'ds, an say he'd be obleeged If I'd
drop in wen l come to town an settle, or
SEN it down by a neighbour That's wat
I done, an that's wat he done. Wall, l
lis sent word to the ongrateful chap th't
wen ! 'scribed for his paper jis' to help
him along / s'posed he 'preciated it, AN
tht l want use to no sech doin's ez his.
! toll him to stop sendin' his paper to me
immejitly an to wunst, ez l wouldn't hev
his ornery sheet in my house. An I hain't
took Il sence, an ] wouldn't compromise
myself by takin' 1t, nuther. Peleg, wen
@ mar don't 'preciate his friends ez wants
TO help him along, the sooner he quits the
better. Watts in the paper, sonny Open
1t up on perceed. Hns they ben any Injin
fights latelya"
Peleg sat down and opened the paper.
"Look for Injin fights, fust, Peleg,"
sold the Old Settler.
peleg glanced over the paper, and his
eye fell on a column headed, Deadly
Work In the Wild West"
"That's itr' exclaimed the Old Settler.
'"That's I~njins!"
Then Peleg read about some peaceful
settlements on the frontier, and how the
terrible cyclones had swept down upon
them, killing men, women and children,
destroying their houses, and even carry
ing little children away before their dying
parents very eyes.
'"The bloody scoundrelsf' ex aimed the
Old Settler, greatly excited. " ijsns is the
terriblest critters ez ever 70 ned on the
face o. the 'arth, takin' 'em all together;
but I've alluz said th't that Cycloon tribe
was the bloodiest on 'em all! l only wisht
I were this government bout a week! If
! wouldn't send q lot o. sojers out thar
that'd wipe ev'ry red devil of a Cycloon
often this mortal globe in less time thin
it'd take me to tell it.; then I'd go out thar
an let 'em chaw me, b'gosh, bones, boots
an buttons, dod durn 'em. Wat else Is
tn startlin', Pelegf"
Little Peleg read column after column,
until he began TO get hoarse and wanted
to stop.
"Wall, all right" said his grandfather;
ssbut give us the Sugar Swamp jottin's
fust. Les see WAITS goin' on in the Sugar
Swamp deestric."
SO Peleg turned to the "Jottings from
Sugar Swamp" and read them through.
The principal items were that Simeon
Shortlip's heifer had given birth to three
calves, all alive and healthy; Obadiah
Frazer's tame bear had choked to death
on q turnip, and Jacob Pindibble had